Citation

Almanzar VB. Harv. Educ. Rev. 2013; 83(1): 43-46.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Harvard University)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

The author, Victor B. Almanzar, reports on his introduction to the arts while growing up in New York as a young teenager. He felt like an outcast from society due to his language barrier and numerous ethnic groups different from his. He became involved with other students who, like himself, were harassed and suffered from bullying due to their language difference. In his sophomore year, his father decided to transfer him to the International High School at La Guardia Community College in hopes of changing his pathway. In the first year he was introduced to Drama, a class that was nothing like he expected. He was later accepted in a youth theater group called the "Creative Arts Team" (CAT). Performances in many theaters, traveling the country and abroad to perform, gave him purpose and it grounded him. It made him believe in himself, made him see the world as open to endless possibilities, and showed him how the arts could have a positive effect on society and help guide people to a more positive setting. The arts opened his mind to accept who he was and also to accept others for who they were. Art changed him from an irresponsible teenager to a man who feels responsibility for the world he lives in. He hopes he can do for others who are in a place of darkness and confusion what art has done for him.

Language: en